Portugal Frank
Department of Biology and Biotechnology Program, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA.
Perspect Biol Med. 2010 Autumn;53(4):558-70. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2010.0014.
In 1944, Oswald T. Avery and his associates reported that DNA was the chemical substance acting to genetically transform species of pneumococcal bacteria. Many believe that Avery warranted the Nobel Prize for this discovery. Avery's work is evaluated here in light of the Nobel archives, which have made public the names of those who nominated Avery for this award and the basis for each of the nominations. Based on the archival record, it seems that key biological chemists "were not convinced by Avery's claim that DNA was the basis of heredity, that no geneticists nominated Avery, and that most nominators overlooked Avery's work on DNA in favor of his work on the immunogenicity of the bacterial capsule. Three critical scientific factors that adversely affected acceptance of Avery's work were the possibility of protein contamination of DNA, the role of DNA transformation limited to a few species of bacteria, and the possibility that DNA was acting as a chemical mutagen on the true genetic substance. In addition, Avery's own idiosyncratic behavior may have unintentionally confounded acceptance of his groundbreaking discovery.
1944年，奥斯瓦尔德·T·艾弗里及其同事报告称，DNA是对肺炎球菌进行基因转化的化学物质。许多人认为艾弗里应因这一发现获得诺贝尔奖。本文根据诺贝尔档案对艾弗里的工作进行了评估，该档案公布了提名艾弗里获此奖项的人员名单以及每项提名的依据。根据档案记录，关键的生物化学家“并不信服艾弗里关于DNA是遗传基础的说法，没有遗传学家提名艾弗里，而且大多数提名者忽视了艾弗里在DNA方面的工作，而青睐他在细菌荚膜免疫原性方面的工作。对艾弗里的工作产生不利影响的三个关键科学因素是DNA可能受到蛋白质污染、DNA转化的作用仅限于少数几种细菌，以及DNA可能作为真正遗传物质的化学诱变剂发挥作用。此外，艾弗里自身独特的行为可能无意中阻碍了他这一开创性发现被接受。
